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How to Win A Swordfight

According to many popular post-apocalyptic movies (Six String
Samurai, for one), someday we’re going to run out of bullets. How are
you going to survive when Hollywood’s not there with Jean-Claude or Mel
Gibson? Read on.

Steps :

1 – Draw your sword before you engage. We’ve all seen samurai movies
where Musashi or his equivalent draws and kills in one slice, but you
aren’t Musashi and he was just showing off. It takes longer to draw a
sword than it does to get hit. On the other hand, if your sword and
scabbard are suitable for a quick draw, and you practice, this can be a
great surprise attack.

2 – Engage slowly. If you run in like the Baron von Munchausen, your
enemy only needs to stick out his sword and wait. By engaging slowly,
you are able to maintain control and focus on key positions – your
feet, your sword, and your opponent’s sword.

3 – Guard yourself at all times. If you don’t protect yourself,
you’ll lose. Keep your sword in position so it runs from the bottom of
your torso to the top of your head.

4 – Keep your sword out in front of your body, called putting your
opponent “on point”. The farther out your sword is extended, the
farther away your opponent will stay and the less chance you have of
getting sliced.

5 – Measure twice, cut once. In the vast majority of cases, medieval
sword fights ended with the first blow struck. If your blow misses,
you’ll open yourself up to attack. Make sure you see a trajectory for
your sword that will result in a positive hit.

6 – Win by not losing. Concentrate on staying alive. Stay on the
defensive. Eventually you’ll get the opportunity to defeat your
opponent with minimal danger to yourself.

7 – Keep distance. If you are out of range of an instant stroke you
can take time to plan and maneuver. If you are in range of an instant
stroke you should have already started your instant stroke or you will
be struck.

8 – Be confident. If you act scared, your opponent will take
advantage of your lack of confidence and will attempt to frighten you
into making a false move. If you are aggressive and display confidence
your opponent may be intimidated by you instead.

Tips :

You must learn proper parrying form or you will be cooked…you can
not possibly dodge all attacks. What is important is that you learn to
parry while exposing as little of the vital targets on your body as
possible.

In defence, when it’s enough to only move your wrist, move just the
wrist. When the wrist is not enough, move the elbow. When the elbow is
not enough, move the shoulder. When none of this is enough, retreat.

Retaliate. When your opponent attacks, he leaves some of his body exposed. Parry his blow, then strike back.

Know the length of your sword. If both fighters are correctly
judging length, you’ll only ever have the opportunity to hit with the
top six inches or so. Keep your eye on your sword and that of your
opponent at all times. However, focusing just on the opponent’s sword
is not advisable, since you can be misled. A skilled fighter should be
able to judge the direction of the opponent’s next blow by examining
his posture.

In fencing (fighting with a stabbing only sword), always keep your
sword point directly at your opponent, if you parry (block) exactly to
the end of the side of their body they will not be able to hit you.
Overextending yourself (parrying past that point) will leave your
vulnerable.

Maintain your balance. Keep your weight evenly balanced on both your
feet. Never cross your feet as this will throw you off balance; only
the slightest bit of force can knock you over. There is a reason that
almost all martial arts stress balance (there are one or two weird ones
where your constantly falling and recovering.) It gives you more
options to move. But, don’t present your legs as an easy target either.
If your opponent allows you to take advantage of a leg shot, use it. If
your opponent goes down, then the fight is over.

Positioning of the body is important. Keep your body perpendicular
and the shoulder of your sword arm pointed toward your opponent (like
fencers do). This makes your torso a smaller target and will protect
many of your vital organs.

If you’re using both hands to grasp a sword (as with a so-called
“bastard” or a hand-and-a-half sword), keep your strong hand right
under the swordguard and the other hand (the off-hand) right above the
pommel. Keep your arms bent at elbows, with your strong fist in front
of your solar plexus and the sword positioned as described above. When
defending, your strong arm should not move far from this position.

If your sword is properly balanced, it will work as a lever. Use
your off-hand to guide it, and your strong hand to lend the force to
the attack or parry.

Examination of eyewitness accounts show that many sword duels were
won by gashing the opponent’s arms or thighs, then waiting until blood
loss made them faint, at which point they were at their assailant’s
mercy. Hands, feet, arms and legs are legitimate and useful targets,
and will often be easier to strike than the torso or head.

Watch your opponent carefully. Notice where he is looking – this may
be the area where he’s preparing to strike. When your opponent is about
to attack, his fists and shoulders may tense for a second.

Be aware of the terrain around you and use it to your advantage.
Sending an opponent tumbling backwards over an obstacle behind him will
surely help. Same as positioning him in such a way so that he is
fighting with his face towards the sun (you can identify that by
looking at your shadow – it should be pointing in your opponents
direction). Just remember that same tricks can be used against you.

“The best samurai is the one who never draws his sword.”

Warnings :

Never, ever turn around. We’ve all seen the end of The Return of the
Jedi, where Luke does the fancy spin maneuver. In real life that
doesn’t work. Turning around means turning your back to your opponent
with no sword to guard you.

Never, ever let go of your sword. We all appreciate the scene in
Willow where Mad Martigan tosses the sword this way and that with the
greatest of ease, but if you aren’t holding on to your sword, you may
as well not have one. A single blow on an airborne sword will send it
flying and you become defenseless.

If you are in a true sword fight, seriously consider running away.
When Abe Lincoln was challenged to a duel, he skipped it (and became
president years later). Sword fighting is a good way to get killed.
That’s why duels are illegal. A three inch thrust or slice in your
neck/face area is fatal or debilitating, 80% of the time. The most
likely outcome of a true sword fight is that one person dies fast, and
the other dies slow. If you do survive a sword fight but get hurt, get
medical attention immediately.

When using a two-handed blade, keep your arms from crossing. This
usually leaves your blade in a position where you cannot effectively
use it. Use the “lever” grip described above.

Sword twirling is usually reserved only for drum majors leading a
marching band. In combat sword twirling can result in losing the grip
on your sword, as well as leave you exposed to attack. That said, doing
a “windmill” with a two-handed blade can leave a less experienced
fighter intimidated – though it is tiring, and is not advisable against
a more experienced opponent.

When fencing (for fun, like kids with sticks), the #1 mistake most
people make is they try to hit the sword instead of the person. If you
keep that in mind — hitting the person (his hand, body, or head), not
his sword — you can more easily defeat someone who is sword (or stick)
slapping. Plus you find your posture and confidence change, and that
usually spooks an amateur.

Remember, expect the unexpected. There never were any clearly
defined rules of sword fighting other than try to win. Your opponent
could kick at you, throw dirt in your face, or other things to distract
you. These are tactics that you can also employ.

Expect to get wounded. Often duels ended with both participants wounded and/or dying.

The most important thing to remember is that “swordplay is not
play.” It is very serious business to draw a sword. Swords were
designed for killing, no other purpose. Treat a sword with the same
respect as a firearm and others will treat you with respect. In that
way you may win a duel without ever drawing a sword.

Greetings friend! A warm welcome to you from this world you've stumbled into. Take a load off and rest easy while we share this space and learn from one another. My name's Xin, and these are my thoughts on life, collections of my experiences, and my reflections on budo.

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